Fukutomi Juichi
|kanji = 福富　寿一 |roomaji = Fukutomi Juichi |alias = Fuku-chan (used by Arakita) Fuku (used by Toudou) |gender = Male |birthday = March 3 |zodiac = Pisces |bloodtype = B |height = 180 cm (5' 11") |weight = 66 kg (145 lbs) |age = |hair = Blond |eye = Black, Brown (movie) |occupation = Student Cyclist |school = Hakone Academy, 3rd year, class A Meisou University, 1st year |affiliation = Hakone Academy Bicycle Club |type = All-rounder |bicycle = Bianchi green with black logo Giant black with gold logo |manga = Ride 45 |anime = |seiyu = Maeno Tomoaki }} Fukutomi Juichi is a third year at Hakone Academy and captain of the school's cycling club. His catchphrase of sorts is "I am strong" (ore wa tsuyoi). Appearance Fukutomi has short, spiky blond hair and very thick dark eyebrows. He usually wears a serious expression, which is why Arakita called him "Iron Mask" at first. He has sharp, dark eyes and a thin nose. He is often seen wearing Hakogaku's uniform, though he has appeared in various forms of casual clothes in official art. Personality As his stoic face suggests, Fukutomi has a very serious personality. He is very invested in living up to Hakogaku's title of "kings." While his methods may seem harsh, it is clear that Fukutomi has incredible faith in his teammates. That he holds himself to such high standards brings a heavy burden on himself to the point that the very thought of losing to Kinjou Shingo during the previous Inter High caused him to desperately reach out and grab the other cyclist, causing them both to crash. With his true weakness revealed, Fukutomi was ashamed that he would make such a grievous error, and offered a heartfelt apology twice to Kinjou and the rest of Sohoku after the race, once at the race itself and again at Sohoku High. Even during his second Inter High, Fukutomi thinks back on his actions with disdain, and hopes to have a genuine race with Kinjou this time around to amend his past mistake. Plot History At the second day of the 40th Summer Inter High in Hiroshima under grueling heat, Fukutomi, a second-year, raced on Hakone Academy's team and was in the lead with Kinjou persistently chasing behind him at 35km to the goal. Fukutomi began talking to Kinjou, stating that he was bored and disappointed in the race after practicing under extreme conditions with his family, who started the Hakogaku Bicycling Club. Since the start of the Inter-High he had not found a single worthy opponent. He went on to ask Kinjou if he believed in his own strength, since teammates had to be sacrificed in order to win - that if there was one member strong enough, victory was certain. Fukutomi declared himself the strongest and rode ahead, but Kinjou disagreed with his philosophy and kept chasing, declaring that he was carrying the wills of those who had fallen behind in the race, that he wasn't alone, and that he was the Snake of the Stone Path - the man who never gives up. Fukutomi continued to ride fast with Kinjou in tow, trying to make him believe that he was an opponent Kinjou could not overcome. Despite this, Kinjou continued to insist that he was riding for the sake of bringing victory to his team and couldn't give up until he was past the finish line; the two constantly debated on individual strength versus the strength of a team's faith with neither refusing to back down. By that point they were at 5km to the goal, heading up a slope, and Kinjou hadn't faltered a second. Unnerved by the pressure of Kinjou's unwavering will, despite the other cyclist's skills being inferior to his, Fukutomi began to make gear shift mistakes and lose his composure. He began thinking back on winning so many races by his own strength. He had seen the light beyond the goal more than anyone else, and the idea of crossing the finish line in someone else's shadow was impossible. Fukutomi, however, was shocked when Kinjou began to pull ahead of him, and made yet another gear shift mistake. To see Kinjou ahead was something Fukutomi, heavy with the desire to be the first to grasp the light of victory, couldn't fathom, so he inadvertently reached out and grabbed the back of Kinjou's jersey. This sent them both flying off their bicycles, Kinjou hitting the road several times, landing against the guard rail, and left badly injured with broken ribs. Fukutomi was left sprawled on the road and calling out to an initially unresponsive Kinjou. However, to Fukutomi's disbelief, Kinjou forced himself up to get back on his bike and painfully road to the goal. Because they were already so far in the front, 2km to the goal, and because he was not injured as much, Fukutomi managed to finish the race as well, ahead of Kinjou. Hakone Academy took first, second, and third place. Once the Sohoku members found Kinjou at the goal, Fukutomi appeared and apologized to all of them, explaining what happened was not quite an accident. Fukutomi blamed his actions on his weakness. Tadokoro punched him hard enough to knock him off his feet. Fukutomi merely apologized again and stated that he made the decision to withdraw from the third day's race, even though he knew it wouldn't amount to anything. Tadokoro continued to shout at him, accusing Hakone Academy of using dirty tricks to win and stating other teams aren't blessed with several aces like them. Both end up in tears. Surprising Fukutomi yet again, Kinjou told Tadokoro to calm himself because nothing could change the results, and they needed to perform maintenance on his bike and get proper rest, heavily implying that he would still race the next day despite his injuries. Fukutomi questioned why, to which Kinjou replied that as cyclists, they settle things only on the road, and no one knows who will win until the very end. That's why Kinjou continues to move forward without giving up. To not move forward is to immediately lose. To him, even small steps count, even without a win, as they will mean something in the future. Fukutomi was left with newly-opened eyes, seeing Kinjou as a truly strong ace, stronger than himself. A month afterwards, Fukutomi still deeply regretted his actions and visited Sohoku High to formally apologize, bringing manjuu ("Hakone Specialty steamed buns") along as a gift. This was despite Toudou's best efforts to warn Makishima through a phone call, thinking Fukutomi had left to pick a fight. He had apparently left a note saying he was skipping practice to go to Chiba. As soon as Kinjou entered the club room, Fukutomi was directly behind him. The ensuing attempts to hide Fukutomi from Kinjou ended up with a stack of wheels ("accidentally", as Tadokoro put it) falling on the newly-appointed Hakone captain. As Fukutomi apologized, he acknowledged that his actions ruined the efforts of Sohoku's entire team, revealing that he'd undergone a change in his philosophy. He also had something else to say, that he needed a favor, but decided against it and decided to leave. However, Kinjou tossed him a bottle of water and asked for a leisurely ride together. During this, Fukutomi asked for his favor: that Kinjou would race against him again, that they would go all-out if they were neck-and-neck at the next Inter-High. He admitted that his battle with Kinjou revealed just how weak he was, and that he couldn't become stronger until he fought with Kinjou fairly and won. He went on to say that his request was selfish and he has no right to refuse if Kinjou asked to let Sohoku win at the next Inter-High, as it's something they both deserved. Kinjou replied that if he were to ask that, then he couldn't truly win the Inter-High, as he, too, was someone who wanted to become faster and stronger. Kinjou declared he would gather the strongest team while his wounds healed to challenge Hakone Academy and race in the Inter-High, so if they ended up in the same situation next year, Fukutomi had nothing to worry about: Kinjou was not going to lose. 41st Summer Inter High Day 1 Day 2 Fukutomi and Kinjou have an intense race on the second day of the Inter High. As they approach the goal, Fukutomi thinks about how he is grateful that he has Kinjou as his opponent. The two engage in a fist bump of sorts as Fukutomi thinks this. After Fukutomi beats Kinjou, he tells Kinjou that he can finally laugh from the heart. Kinjou calls Fukutomi "awkward" and corrects him, saying that Fukutomi is crying, not laughing. Kinjou also says that Fukutomi is strong, affirming Fukutomi's usual statement. However, he promises not to lose to Fukutomi on the third day. Skills and Techniques He has good leadership skills, and is shown going toe-to-toe with Kinjou. He was also the one that formed the true team of Hakone during his 3rd year of Inter-High. Relationships Shinkai Hayato Fukutomi and Shinkai have been friends since middle school, where they were in the same cycling club. After joining Hakone's team in high school, Shinkai was traumatized by a race and wanted to quit cycling. Fukutomi was deeply upset by this, because he knew Shinkai was an amazing cyclist and because they had made a promise to win the Inter High together. Fukutomi said that Shinkai would definitely have to race during their third year, because he was going to create the strongest team. Because of this, Fukutomi has a lot of faith in Shinkai. The two attend the same university later on. Arakita Yasutomo Arakita and Fukutomi had a disastrous first meeting, as Arakita insulted Fukutomi and even physically assaulted him. After winning a race on his bike against Arakita on his moped, he is the one who introduced Arakita to the world of cycling, got him interested in road races, and won his respect. (See: Arakita's History.) Arakita goes so far to say that Fukutomi is the only one he "acknowledges." Over the years, the two developed a more friendly relationship, and Arakita often works as an assist to Fukutomi during races. In the past, Arakita called Fukutomi "Iron Mask" (tekkamen), but he currently has a nicer nickname for him: "Fuku-chan." Kinjou Shingo Fukutomi was the one who caused Kinjou and himself to crash at the previous Inter-High, due to his own weakness at the thought of losing and not being truly strong. After repenting, he and Kinjou develop a more healthy rivalry that spurs them on in their Inter High as third years to be the fastest and the strongest, something Fukutomi needs in order to properly move forward. Kinjou's philosophy on riding for the team and having faith in the team rubs off strongly on Fukutomi when he sees Kinjou's will to ride even if gravely injured, and Fukutomi acknowledges him as someone who is truly strong, the kind of person he strives to be. Trivia ;Likes : Apples ;Secret talents : Plate spinning (picked it up after he saw his older brother's friend do it) ;Best subject : Pretty much everything ;Misc * Fukutomi's father and brother are also racers who attended Hakone Academy; his father is the one who founded the bicycle club and lead the team to its first victory. Gallery fukutomi pencil board.png Fukutomi.Juichi.full.1608760.jpg|Anime concept art. Fukutomi.Juichi.full.1573361.jpg|Alternate anime concept art. fukutomi1.png fukutomi2.png fukutomi onsen.png fukumovie.png|Movie concept art. Category:Characters Category:Male Characters Category:Cyclists Category:Students Category:All-rounders Category:Astrological sign: Pisces Category:Blood type: B Category:Hakone Academy Bicycle Club